By Deborah Nnamdi
Workers of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) and the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) on Monday commenced an indefinite industrial action, effectively shutting down official activities across Abuja over what they described as unmet demands by the Federal Government.
A visit to the FCTA Secretariat at about 9:00 a.m. showed a heavy security presence at the entrance, with personnel of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and the Nigeria Police Force deployed at the gate, while workers were denied access to the premises.
The strike is expected to disrupt operations across all FCTA secretariats, departments, agencies, area councils and parastatals, grounding administrative activities within the Federal Capital Territory.
The industrial action followed a directive earlier issued by the Joint Union Action Congress (JUAC), instructing workers across all cadres to withdraw their services with effect from Monday, January 19, 2025.
The directive, contained in a statement dated January 8 and signed by JUAC President, Rifkatu Iortyer, and Secretary, Abdullahi Saleh, said an ultimatum issued on January 7 had expired without any meaningful engagement from management.
The unions listed their grievances to include the non-payment of outstanding promotion arrears, delays in the conduct and release of promotion exercises, and the continued extension of service for retired directors and permanent secretaries, which they said was stalling career progression for serving officers.
They also accused the administration of failing to remit statutory deductions such as pension contributions and National Housing Fund payments, warning that the situation could jeopardise the future welfare of affected workers.
In addition, JUAC expressed dissatisfaction with the outcome of the 2024 promotion examinations, describing the exercise as largely unsuccessful and alleging that a significant number of its members were adversely affected.
